Ticket printing machine



Feb. 2, 1937. A. KOHLER TICKET PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 24, 1934 Inventor:

Andreas Kohl 1-, :7 Hi ttornqg.

Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,069,656 TICKET PRINTING MACHINE.

Andreas Khler, Hennigsdorf, nearBerlin, Germany, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October 24, 1934, Serial No. 749,857 In Germany October 25, 1933 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to ticket printing machines comprising a printing drum with adjustable type carriers. In these machines it is necessary to lock the type carriers during rotation of the drum, that is during printing, be-

cause the ratchet wheels provided on the type carriers permit a correct adjustment but do not necessarily securely hold the type carriers in position. For this reason one provides adjustable members with projections which act on the ratchet wheels to hold them in place. This arrangement has the disadvantage that pawls or like members which during operation do not properly engage the ratchet wheel, are bent, thereby'endangering the operation of the apparatus. Furthermore, this arrangement necessitates a complicated and expensive construction for permitting movement of the locking members in both directions of rotation.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for locking the ratchet or ratchet wheel by means of an intermittent looking drum, which drum in a preferred embodiment is moved by means of an intermittent drive mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an intermittent drive mechanism which is arranged so that the printing drum is put into a position ready for operation while the inter- J mittent drive mechanism is moved into an intermediate position.

The arrangement according to my invention is such that the intermittent drive mechanism locks itself automatically.

An arrangement according to my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows a side view of a portion of a printing drum, Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view along the lines D E F Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the lines A B C of Fig. 1.

The printing drum I carries the axles 2. The type wheels 3 are freely movable about the axles 2. Ratchet wheels 4 are rigidly connected with the type Wheels 3 and engaged by pawls 5. Each pawl 5 is forced into engagement with its ratchet wheel 4 by means of a spring 6 connected to a rod 1. Rods are also provided within the printing drum I. The printing drum rotates about a fixed axle 8 to which the wheel or gear 9 is seteeth I0 and II, engaging the teeth of the wheel I2. In the position shown on the drawing, a full tooth of the gear I2 is located in the opening between the teeth I0 and II. The teeth of the latter are alternately cut away by one-half, that cured. The latter is provided with only two' is far enough that the teeth do not come into engagement with the locking member I3 provided adjacent the teeth III and II of the wheel 9. The thickness of the looking member is somewhat less than that of the teeth of the gear I2 5 which are partially cut away, so that these teeth and the locking member I3 can pass each other. The locking drum or wheel I4 is rigidly secured to the gear I2. The locking wheel has projections fitting under noses I5 of the pawls 5 and also depressions I6, permitting movement of the noses. I5 of the pawls 5 sufficient to permit rotation of the wheels 3. The gears 9 and I2 represent an intermittent gear for intermittently rotating the locking drum I4 to automatically lock the pawls.

The arrangement is shown in position ready for operation.

If the printing drum and consequently the gear I2 which rests therein are rotated around the stationary gear 9, for instance in clockwise direction, then the tooth Ill will force the complete tooth of the gear I2 out of the opening, in other words, the gear I2 performs besides its circular motion around the gear 9 also a rotation around its own axis, also in clockwise direction, until the complete tooth is removed from the opening between the teeth I0 and II; this complete tooth, as well as the next complete tooth to the left, will then lie against the locking member I3, so that the gear I2 is prevented from rotating around its own axis. Simultaneously, the incomplete tooth shown in the top of the drawing is rotated past the locking member I3, so that it will arrive behind the latter element. When the printing drum and consequently the gear I2 have almost completed their circular motion, this incomplete tooth will mesh with the gear II and consequently the wheel I2 is given such a rotation around its own axis that a complete tooth will arrive in the opening between the'teeth III and I I, at which the initial position shown in the drawing is again reached.

Simultaneously with the intermittent rotation of the gear I2 around its own axis, the locking drum I4 which is connected with this gear is rotated intermittently from the position shown into the blocked position and is'returned to the illustrated position at the end of the rotation of the printing drum.

With the above described partial rotation of the gear I2 and the locking wheel I4, which r0,- tation in the present instance is 45 degrees, the projections of the locking drum I4 have been moved adjacent the noses I5 of the pawls 5,

type carriers, ratchet'wheels for the type carriers, pawls cooperatively arranged with the ratchet wheels, and means disposed within the printing drum for locking the pawls, such means comprising a locking drum and an intermittent gear for intermittently turning the locking 'drum.

2. A ticket printing machine including the combination of a printing drum with adjustable type carriers, a shaft for the drum; shaft means parallel to said shaft for supporting the type carriers, ratchet wheels for the type carriers, pawls cooperatively arranged with the ratchet wheels, means for automatically locking the pawls, the ratchet wheels being supported on said shaft means, and means including said shaft for supporting the pawls.

ANDREAS K6HLER. 

